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Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Six literary agents who represent short story collections (and many other things: literary and commercial fiction, MG and YA fiction, narrative nonfiction, memoir, etc )

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It’s difficult finding agents who
represent short story collections, because there’s not much money in short
stories. But I’ve uncovered half a dozen agents who are seeking short stories
and who are currently accepting submissions:

Chad LuiblofJanklow and Nesbit. This is a large
firm with many well-known authors. Chad Luibl is an assistant there, very low
on the totem pole. But that’s okay; it means he needs clients.

He says: “I tend to lean more toward darker tales and gritty settings,
culture-crossing perspectives, structures that are a bit experimental (see
David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas), and always narratives with a strong emotional
core. Having lived in Poland and Hungary, I have a niche-interest in books that
feel Eastern European in voice/perspective (or explore post-Soviet and Cold War
themes), and I find anything that deals with exile and expatriation immediately
arresting.”

Include the word “Query” in the subject
line. Send your query letter, a synopsis and the first fifty pages of your
manuscript attached as a word document.

Katie Grimm ofDon Congdon Associates: This is a prominent well-established agency that’s been around since
1938. They represented Ray Bradbury (author of Farenheit 451 among other
well-known science fiction books) and currently represent such well-known
authors as David Sedaris (Theft by
Finding) and Kathryn Stocket (The
Help).

The key is “cohesive” collections of stories – there needs to be
something strong holding them together.

Katie says: “Most generally, I focus on adult literary fiction,
narrative nonfiction, middle grade, and young adult fiction. Across all
genres and ages, I’ll always be interested in the darker and weirder side of
the human condition as well as previously under- or misrepresented experiences
and voices.”

Include the
word “Query” and the agent’s full name in your subject heading. As always in a
query, include a short description of your work and your relevant background
information and must all fit easily on one page. Also paste the first story of
your collection into the email. No attachments.

Christopher Rhodeshas been
involved in the publishing business and agenting for years, but only recently
joined The Stuart Agency. Prior to that, he was an
agent at The James Fitzgerald Agency. Previous to that, he worked at The Carol
Mann Agency and in the sales and marketing departments at Simon and Schuster.

For fiction, include the
first 50 pages; for nonfiction, include a proposal. A Word document or a PDF is
fine.

Waverly Place Literary Agency. This is a one-woman outfit for literary agent Debbie Carter, Who doesn’t seem to have many (or perhaps any) sales. She’s seeking short story and poetry collections with popular
appeal.Update: Debbie has written me a note to correct this posting: Brian Henry -- I wish you had called me before posting your article. I sold the award-winning children's story collection The Adventures of Molly Whuppie & Other Appalachian Folktales by Anne Shelby. {To University of North Carolina Press; see here.} As a result of my promotion efforts, the collection won an Aesop Award from the American Folklore Society and a state reading award--the Delaware Diamond from students in grades 3-5. The book was also published in China. I wish I had a long list of sales, but I have very specific tastes which you'll find on my website under "Areas of Interest." I'm look for quality short fiction for adults and children (excluding short short fiction and short genre fiction) that will sell. I don't want junk, but that doesn't mean junk can't get published.

Renée
Zuckerbrot founded the Renée Zuckerbrot Literary Agencyafter working as an editor at Doubleday and Franklin Square
Press/Harper’s Magazine. She is a member of theAARandAuthors
Guild. She serves onPEN’s
Membership Committee, and is a Board member of theCouncil of Literary Magazines
and Presses(CLMP) andSlice
Magazine. You can read an interview with Renée and
her colleagues at Poets & Writers. See her top ten list of short stories
at Storyville.

Authors represented by Renée have won or been nominated for
the Pulitzer Prize, the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction, the PEN
Jacqueline Bograd Weld Prize for Biography, the National Magazine Award, the
William Saroyan International Prize for Writing, the NYPL Young Lions Fiction
Award, B&N’s Discover Great New Writers Award, the Story Prize, the PEN/O.
Henry Prize, the Shirley Jackson Award, the Locus, the Hugo, the Nebula, the
Pushcart, and others.

Include a synopsis of your project, your publication history (if any),
a brief bio, and your contact information. Please also attach an excerpt, up to
three sample chapters (or three short stories), as one Word document. The
attachment should be paginated and double-spaced.

Bringing Up Beauty by Sylvia McNicoll,
one of the guest speakers for
the Writing Kid Lit class

Brian Henry will lead“You can write great dialogue," workshops on Saturday, July 15, in Mississauga (seehere) and Saturday, July 22,
in London (see here).

And
there are three weekly creative writing courses, introductory to advanced,
starting soon:

Navigation
tips: Always check out the labels
underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of
postings. Also, if you're searching for a literary agent who represents a
particular type of book, check outthis post.

Brian Henry has been a book editor, writer, and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He teaches creative writing at Ryerson University. He also leads weekly creative writing courses in Burlington, Mississauga, Oakville and Georgetown and conducts Saturday workshops throughout Ontario. His proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get published.